Breakfast

Today I will feature “Just Eat Real Food” from Pinterest. You can access their Pinterest boards featuring over 100 healthy foods that contain only real ingredients. You can also “Like” their page on Facebook. I think you will be very happy with the fun information and great recipes they share and provide.

Paleo Pumpkin Spiced Donuts

4 to 5 large medjool dates (organic if you can find them), pits removed
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
6 eggs (organic pastured if you have)
4 Tablespoons canned coconut milk
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted – plus more for donut pan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup coconut butter, melted (optional)
Unsweetened Shredded Coconut and Nuts of choice for topping (optional)

Original Source: Multiply Delicious.

Staying connected to great resources that remind us to make healthy choices everyday is one thing you can do that will help you stay on course for a healthier life.

Breakfast Healthy Protein Balls

These little balls are a great way to get nutrition into your picky eater! So healthy you can eat them for breakfast and so yummy you will want for dessert!

Check out the healthy ingredients:

LCM HealthPro – Meal Replacement Protein Powder – This amazing powder contains protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables and greens. OVER 10 servings of fruits and vegetables in EVERY scoop!!
Peanut butter/nuts – adds a healthy fat which helps your body absorbs nutrients better. Read More
Flax/Chia/Sesame seeds – seeds are high in fiber and are loaded with minerals Read More
Raw Honey – Raw honey is loaded antioxidants and enzymes that aid digestion. The darker the honey, the more antioxidants it contains. Read More

Power Breakfast Balls

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
3/4 c. LCM HealthPro Chocolate Protein Powder
1/3 c. raw honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. macadamia nuts, chopped
1/4 c. almonds, chopped
1 Tbsp. ground flax or chia seeds
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 c. brown rice cereal
Carob powder

Place all ingredients in a food processor and chop until well combined. The mixture is thick so you may need to stop and adjust the mixture a few times. Form balls and place on plate. Sprinkle with carob powder, if desired.

Desserts

We always get so many requests for dessert and snack foods, so here are a few that will help fill up your holiday table with healthy choices! From pies to Black Bean Brownies, these are all healthy hits! Also, there is a link at the bottom for even more ideas! Enjoy your weekend Easter!

Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bars
1 cup peanut butter
3 Tbps. raw honey
1 1/2 cups chocolate whey protein powder
1 c. oats
2-5 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp of carab powder
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

In a small saucepan over lo heat, melt peanut butter and honey together. In a medium bowl mix the rest of ingredients together then add peanut butter and honey. Press into a 9×9 pan and refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.

Vanilla Pecan Crust
¾ cup pecans
5 dates, pitted
1 vanilla bean pod (or 1tsp vanilla extract)
⅔ cup blanched almond flour or almond meal
1 egg
1/8 tsp salt
Filling
4 medium Granny Smith apples (approx. 1¾ pounds), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
¼ cup agave nectar
¾ tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pecans and dates in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Slit vanilla bean pod lengthwise and scrape inside to remove vanilla beans; add to pecan mixture and pulse until well ground. Pulse in flour, egg, and salt. Continue pulsing until mixture begins to form a ball. Lightly coat a 9-inch tart pan with oil or cooking spray. Using wet hands, press crust onto bottom and up sides of tart pan; prick all over with a fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until crust is dry, firm and lightly brown. Cool completely.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together apple slices, lemon juice, arrowroot, agave, and cinnamon. Fan out apples on top of prebaked crust, forming a circle; then layer more apples over the first circle and in the center. Pour accumulated juices over apples. Cover with
foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes, until apples are soft but still have some texture. Cool before serving.

Macaroon Cookies
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup of whole cane sugar (rapadura or sucanant)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pure stevia powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
dash of salt
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
Separate eggs and allow egg whites to come to room temperature (sit the counter for 1-2 hours). In a medium sized bowl beat the egg whites with a hand beater until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until the egg whites are stiff and keep their shape when you pull the beaters out of the bowl. Fold in the sugar, stevia, salt and spices. Then gently stir in the coconut flakes. Drop by teaspoon to onto lined or greased baking sheets.Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and set. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Cranberry Pear Crisp
1½ cups almond flour
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp peanut or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp agave nectar
4 ripe, medium pears, peeled and cut lengthwise into 16 thin slices
2 cups fresh cranberries
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tsp orange zest
¼ cup agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, and sea salt. In a small bowl, combine oil and agave. Stir wet ingredients into dry; set aside. Place pears in a large bowl with cranberries, nutmeg, arrowroot, orange zest and agave; toss together until fruit is coated. Place pear mixture in a 3-quart or 8×8-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle topping over fruit. Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes (uncover for the last 5 minutes), until pears and cranberries are soft and bubbly and topping is lightly browned.

Melon Fruit Bowl
1 ripe cantaloupe
Fruits: raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries
Stevia or whole cane sugar

Cut melon in half and scoop out seeds. With a melon baller, scoop out melon flesh and place melon balls in a mixing bowl. Save the melon rinds (the melon outer shell) to be used later as your serving bowls. Add about a dozen raspberries, blueberries, a half a dozen of sliced strawberries to the melon balls.

Toss gently – not too much so the fruits don’t get bruised. You can sprinkle with sugar but this is optional. When the fruits are ripe (especially at the heart of summer), this is delicious as is.
Fill up each half melon rind with fruit salad and serve on an individual dessert plate with a dessert fork. Place a mint leaf on top of your melon bowl, if desired.

Avocado Vanilla Pudding w/ Berries
1 large ripe avocado-chilled
1 tbsp. organic vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. raw agave nectar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2/3 c. chilled purified water
berries of choice

Pit and peel avocado and blend in food processor. Add remaining ingredients except for fresh fruit, and blend until smooth. Top with berries and enjoy!

Creamy Cinnamon Pumpkin Pudding
2½ tbsp agar flakes
½ cup raw cashews, almonds or pecans
¼ tsp sea salt
1¼ cups boiling water
1½ cups pumpkin puree
¼ cup agave nectar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cardamom

Place agar, cashews and salt in food processor and process into a fine powder. Add boiling water and process on high speed. Add pumpkin and agave and process again until smooth. Blend in cinnamon and cardamom. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

Black Bean Brownies
1 (15 oz) canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or carob powder
1 tsp ground coffee
2 whole eggs
3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup agave nectar or coconut nectar
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat with coconut oil. a 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish. Combine the beans, cocoa powder, espresso powder, eggs , and flour in the bowl of a food processor or electric mixer. Process until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through. Add the agave or coconut nectar, butter and vanilla. Process until all of the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute. Fold in walnuts. Pour the batter into a prepared baking dish, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the dish halfway through the baking time. Turn down the temperature of the oven to 300°F and bake for another 5-8 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little bit of soft batter clinging to it. It should not come out clean, if it does: it’s overcooked.Let the bars cool completely at room temperature in the baking dish on a wire rack. Then put them in the fridge for at least 3 hours. When they’re cold, cut them into 12 squares and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Click here for more snack and dessert recipes.

Calli’s Coconut Fruit Cocktail Cake

MAKES 9 SQUARES

This cake is a family favorite. To feed a larger crowd, double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13-inch pan.

1 cup gluten-free All-Purpose Flour Blend
⅓ cup coconut flour, fluffed with a fork and sifted before measuring
⅓ cup unsweetened flaked coconut, finely flaked
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum
½ cup honey
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice or fruit cocktail, undrained
2 eggs, room temperature
½ cup raisins
1 medium orange, cut into very thin slices for garnish

Breads

Fluffy Biscuits
Adapted from a recipe by Laura Dolson

Makes four biscuits

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup plus two tablespoons of almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut cold fat (butter or shortening) into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter (or the tines of your fork,) rotating the bowl around with your other hand until the mixture has pea-sized chunks throughout.
Add in eggs. Your “batter” will be thick and gloppy, kind of like cookie dough. Spoon batter into greased nonstick muffin cups and get that sucker in the hot oven before the fat can even THINK about softening!
Bake for 15 minutes. The edges of these biscuits stick really badly, so be sure to grease liberally whatever vessel you’re using to bake these. Some sort of non-stick pan works best here!

A recipe for Coconut Bread:

Coconut Flour Bread
NourishingDays.Com

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey (optional, I usually leave it out)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup coconut flour

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a small buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
  2. Turn the loaf out and cool completely on a rack before serving. That’s it! Enjoy!